Eleven-year-old Parvana lives with her family in a one room apartment in Kabul, Afghanistan, which is under Taliban rule. When her father is arrested without warning for being an intellectual, Parvana's mother is left alone to care for their three children. Banned from going out in public without a man, Parvana’s mother risks arrest herself as she travels to the local prison and demands her husband’s release,
only to end up being beaten and turned away.
As the family becomes desperate for food, Parvana must cut off her hair and disguise herself as a boy so that she can venture out in public and become the breadwinner for her family. She meets a girl named Shauzia who is also dressed as a boy for the same reason.
Shauzia teaches Parvana how to earn money on the streets of Kabul and Parvana is a quick study.
With her newfound friend and freedom, Parvana gains confidence in herself and takes on the responsibility of feeding her family. ...